I am trying explore some of the high end brushes and I come across this especially with Simpsons and Thater - why is one preferred over another?

What is the best for soap + face latherer? I would seem like with bulb, the hair on the outer rim would almost never get any action while loading - but with creating lather - especially in the paint stroke fashion - it would be good?

Fans are better for face lathering, bulbs are better for bowl lathering. Think of the surface that they are in contact with when building up a lather - your face is a relatively flat surface, a bowl is a round surface. Ideally you'd want as much of the brush in contact with the product as possible when building a lather.

I also think fans are better at soaps - more of the brush is in contact with the puck which makes it easier/faster to put the product on the brush and have it evenly distributed.

All-in-all I prefer fan-shaped brushes because I am primarily a soap user who face lathers - and even when I've used creams, I apply the cream to my face and lather there.

They both have their place in my rotation, but typically fan shapes are the preferred knot for face lathering. Regarding soap, while shape does have an impact (both actually have their pros), the hair grade and loft, for me, has much more impact than shape. Thicker hair like 2-band and/or shorter loft will usually perform exceptionally well with soaps.

I prefer hybrids , but between those two styles , I will go for fan. Why ? Because I face latherer with circular strokes and I prefer it over the bulb or extra bulb ones.However , the fan shaped knot have to be under 52 mm , specially if the badger hair used in silvertip , because if not , would splay too much , and I dont like that either.

I only face lather.... And most of my brushes are bulb shaped. Only thing to consider is that you size up one size with a bulb to get similar face contact surface, e.g. I use a size one Thäter in fan and a size two for a bulb...
Simpson 2 bands come all in bulb shape ... Provides great backbone with wonderful soft tips...

And just for fun, here was my short review on the Thaters above (from early 2012)...

Quote:Fan and Bulb

I am a HUGE FAN of the FAN!

The FAN feels HUGE on the face. It is extremely soft, as is the BULB, but the BULB feels more structured and more concentrated on the face.
The FAN reminds my of my Rooney Heritage XL series (not the current hair, but the one considered to feel "gel-like" on the face).
Neither the FAN or BULB are as dense as the XL, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Less density (IMO) = greater flow through.

I used the FAN this morning with Vulfix Persian Musk Shaving Cream.
I usually shower shave when going to work in the morning. Hence, I usually also face lather.
So, this morning I did both.
I held the FAN under the shower for a few moments and it sucked up the water, but retained a compact shape.
I loaded the FAN by dipping it in the pot of cream and commenced face lathering.
Well, the brush exploded on my face!
I love the feel of a big, luxuriously soft brush and this rated highly in that department.
The FAN allowed me to experience the "full" knot on my face rather than the focused centre section as with the BULB.
The FAN certainly splayed, but not in a way that would have made it "mop-like" as there is definitely some backbone to these brushes.
When first examining both brushes I was concerned that they may be akin to some Kent brushes I have used in the "lack of" backbone department.
But, that wasn't the case!
The focused nature of the BULB provides a little more backbone and subsequent "sensation" as opposed to the FAN.

Aesthetically, I'm no FAN (pun intended) of the handles on these brushes.
IMO they are totally uninspiring.
However, ergonomically I can't fault them.
The smaller diameter at the base, provides a more comfortable grip.
And the ring at the base provides a reassuring extra hold on the brush (which is important with all the slippery lather it produces!)
I prefer Thater's old logo and I'm sure these new logos will quickly fade with use (something I won't lament!).

In summary...
Thater has good flow through.
Thater is SOFT, among the softest tips I've experienced (but still a second to my XL).
Thater has backbone and density, but in measured doses.
That is, not excessive in either department.
The FAN displays less of both compared to the BULB, but...
The FAN is definitely my favourite!

Please note: If you enjoy a little "scritch" you are most likely going to be a Thater hater!